144 SOILING CROPS AND THE SILO. 



Rocky mountain valleys when supplied with mois- 

 ture. It does not usually make a good growth in 

 unyielding clays, and light infertile sands have still 

 less adaptation to the growth of rape than stiff clays. 

 It is almost useless to sow rape on a poor soil. On 

 the other hand, the yield of the crop is likely to be 

 proportionate to the richness of the land when the 

 other conditions that relate to growth are favorable. 



Place in the Rotation. The place given to rape 

 in the rotation will in no small degree be dependent 

 on the object for which it is grown. When grown 

 to provide pasture one can scarcely imagine a rota- 

 tion in which it may not with propriety be given a 

 place. It is probably without a rival in its adapta- 

 tion for being sown as a catch crop. But it is rather 

 as a soiling crop than as a pasture crop that its place, 

 in the rotation, is now to be considered. Whenever 

 the crop is cultivated it ought to be made a cleaning 

 crop, and, therefore, may be sown with no little 

 propriety on land that is foul. In all, or nearly all, 

 such instances it ought to be followed by a grain 

 crop on which grass seeds also are sown. But when 

 sown broadcast, and on many of the rich soils of the 

 west, it may be thus grown with perfect propriety. 

 It should only be sown on land that is measurably 

 clean. This crop will grow nicely on overturned 

 sod, old or new, timothy, clover, blue grass, or indeed 

 any other kind of grass, since it is a ravenous feeder 

 on decaying vegetable matter in the soil. 



Rape may be made the sole crop grown on the 

 land for the season, or even for soiling purposes it 

 may be made to follow some other crop, as rye 

 pastured or barley harvested, or clover from which 



